Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-08-12

The largest theatre in the world is the
new opera house in Paris. IL covers nearly
three acres Of ground its cubic mass is
! PSI, 600 feet it cost about 100, 600 francs
The largest suspension bridge is the one
between New York city and Brooklyn
the length Of the main span is 1j95 feet g
inches the entire length of the bridge is
$3.50 feet. The loftiest active volcano is
Popocatapetl smoking mountain" 80
miles southwest Of Puebla, Mexico; it is
II, 14S feet above the sea level and has a
crater three miles in circumference and
thousand feet deep. The longest span of
wire in the world is used for telegraph
in India over the river Kistnah It is more
than 5000 feet in length and is 1900 feet
high. The largest ship in the world is the
Great Eastern. She is $50 feet long, SO
feet broad and go feet deep, being 2S,627
tons burden, 1875 gross and 13, 344 net
register
The greatest fortress, from strategical
point Of view, is the famous stronghold of
Gibraltar 1t occupies a rocky peninsula
lutting out into the sea- about three miles
long and three-quarters of a mile wide.
One central rock rises to height Of 1435
feet above the sea level. Its northern face
is almost perpendicular, while its east side
is full of tremendous precipices. On the
south it terminates in what is called Euro
pa point The west side is less steep than
the east, and between its base and the sea
is the narrow, almost level span on which
the town of Gibralter is built. The for
tress is considered impregnable to military
assault. The regular garrison in time of
peace numbers about seven thousand.
The biggest cavern is the Mammoth cave
in Edmonson county, Kentucky. 1t is near
Green river, about six miles from Cave
city, and twenty eight miles from Bowling
Green. The cave consists of succession
of irregular chambers, some Of which are
large, situated on different levels Some
of these are traversed by navigable branch
es of the subterranean Echo river. Blind
fish are found in its waters.
The longest tunnel in the world is that of
the st. Gothard, on the line Of railroad be-
tween Lucerne and Milan The summit of
the tunnel is 900 feet below the surface at
Andermatt, and $500 feet beneath the peak
of KastelhOrn Of the ST. Gothard group
The tunnel is 26t feet wide, and is Is feet
10 inches from the floor to the crown Of the
arched roof 1t is 81 miles long, 1 I; miles
longer than the Mount Cents tunnel
The biggest trees in the world are the
mammoth trees Of California One of a
grove in Tulare county, according to meas
urements made by members of the state
geological survey, was shown to be 276 feet
i'll height, lOS feet in circumference at base,
and 76 feet at point 12 feet above ground.
Some of the trees are 376 feet high and "a
feet in diameter Some of the largest that
have been felled indicate an age Of from
2000 to $500 years
The largest library is the Bibiotheque
Rationale in Paris, founded by Louis XIV.
1t contains 400, 900 volumes, 30000
pamphlets, III, 900 manuscripts, 300, 900
maps and charts, and 1000 coins and
medals The collection of engravings ex-
ceeds 300, 900, contained in some 10000
volumes. The portraits number about 100,-
600
The largest desert is that of Sahara, a
vast region of northern Africa, extending
from the Atlantic ocean on the west to the
valley of the Nile on the east. The length
from east to west is about 1000 miles, its
average breadth about 900 miles, its area
about 2,000,000 square miles. Rain falls
in torrents in the Sahara at intervals of
five, ten and twenty years. In summer the
heat during the day is excessive, but the
| nights are often cold. In winter the tenn
perature is sometimes below the freezing
point The greatest pyramid is that of
Cheops, one of the three pyramids forming
the Memphis group, situated on a plateau
| about 1877 feet above the level of the high
est rise in the Nile. Its dimensions have
| been reduced by the removal of the outer
portions to furnish stone for the city of
Cairo. Its masonry consisted originally of
S9,O2S, 600 cubic feet. The present vertical
height is 450 feet, against 479 feet original
ly. The total weight of the stone is esti-
mated at G, ,3l6, 600 tons The largest bell
in the world is the great bell of Moscow at
the foot of the Kremlin. Its circumfer-
ence at the bottom is nearly 6S feet and its
height more than 81 feet. In its stoutest
part it is 23 inches thick, and its weight has
been computed to be 443, ,722 pounds. 1t
has never been hung.